Spatial-temporal Characteristics of Land Use Intensity of Coastal Zone in China During 2000–2010

Based on remote sensing and GIS techniques, land use maps in 2000, 2005 and 2010 in China′s coastal zone were produced, and structural raster data of land use were further generated to calculate land use intensity comprehensive index(LUICI) for analyzing land use spatial-temporal characteristics at 1 km scale. Results show that: 1) from the perspective of spatial patterns of landforms at a macro scale, there is a significant difference in land use intensity between the north and the south of China′s coastal zone. Hotspots of changes mainly concentrated in metropolitan areas, estuaries and coastal wetlands; 2) elevation is an important factor that controlling land use spatial patterns at local scale. Land use intensity is much higher within areas below the elevation of 400 m and it decreased significantly as the elevation increasing; 3) there is a significant land-ocean gradient for land use intensity, which is low in island and near-shore areas, but high in the regions that 4–30 km far away the coastline because of much intensive human activities; however, in recent decades land use intensity had been promoted significantly in low near-shore area due to extensive sea reclamations; 4) significant differences of land use intensity were also found among provincial administrative units. A rising trend of land use intensity was found in provincial-level administrative units from 2000 to 2010. To sum up, elevation, land-ocean gradient, socio-economic status and policy are all influencing factors to the spatial patterns and temporal variations of land use intensity in China′s coastal zone.

Spatiotemporal variation of land surface temperature and its driving factors in Xinjiang,China

Land surface temperature(LST) directly affects the energy balance of terrestrial surface systems and impacts regional resources, ecosystem evolution, and ecosystem structures. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is located at the arid Northwest China and is extremely sensitive to climate change. There is an urgent need to understand the distribution patterns of LST in this area and quantitatively measure the nature and intensity of the impacts of the major driving factors from a spatial perspective, as well as elucidate the formation mechanisms. In this study, we used the MOD11C3 LST product developed on the basis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) to conduct regression analysis and determine the spatiotemporal variation and differentiation pattern of LST in Xinjiang from 2000 to 2020. We analyzed the driving mechanisms of spatial heterogeneity of LST in Xinjiang and the six geomorphic zones(the Altay Mountains, Junggar Basin, Tianshan Mountains, Tarim Basin, Turpan-Hami(Tuha) Basin, and Pakakuna Mountain Group) using geographical detector(Geodetector) and geographically weighted regression(GWR) models. The warming rate of LST in Xinjiang during the study period was 0.24℃/10a, and the spatial distribution pattern of LST had obvious topographic imprints, with 87.20% of the warming zone located in the Gobi desert and areas with frequent human activities, and the cooling zone mainly located in the mountainous areas. The seasonal LST in Xinjiang was at a cooling rate of 0.09℃/10a in autumn, and showed a warming trend in other seasons. Digital elevation model(DEM), latitude, wind speed, precipitation, normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI), and sunshine duration in the single-factor and interactive detections were the key factors driving the LST changes. The direction and intensity of each major driving factor on the spatial variations of LST in the study area were heterogeneous. The negative feedback effect of DEM on the spatial differentiation of LST was the strongest. Lower latitudes, lower vegetation coverage, lower levels of precipitation, and longer sunshine duration increased LST. Unused land was the main heat source landscape, water body was the most important heat sink landscape, grassland and forest land were the land use and land cover(LULC) types with the most prominent heat sink effect, and there were significant differences in different geomorphic zones due to the influences of their vegetation types, climatic conditions, soil types, and human activities. The findings will help to facilitate sustainable climate change management, analyze local climate and environmental patterns, and improve land management strategies in Xinjiang and other arid areas.

Reproductive biology of Hemitripterus villosus in the Bohai Strait,China

To understand the reproductive biology of Hemitripterus villosus in the Bohai Strait,and fill the key knowledge gap in verifying reproductive seasonality and documenting gonadotropin dependent reproductive cycle of this species,a year-round detail study was conducted for the first time.In total,263 individuals were randomly sampled off the coasts of the Bohai Strait.Results show that and the overall female-to-male ratio(1.35:1)did not differ significantly from the 1:1 sex ratio.The length and weight relationship for females and males were regressed,depicting an isometric growth for both sexes.Four reproductive phases of the complete gonadotropin dependent reproductive cycle in both sexes were identified.The monthly variations in the gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indexes for both sexes further indicated that this species spawns a single batch of eggs per year and the peak spawning period is from October to December.The average diameter of eggs ranged from 2.10 to 3.57 mm.The length at first sexual maturity was 224.87 mm for females and 241.26 mm for males.Significant positive relationships between absolute fecundity and fish size,and also gonadal weight were observed.H.villosus from the Bohai Strait exhibited smaller body size,smaller egg diameter,lower gonadosomatic index,lower absolute fecundity,and higher population extinction risk than the other populations’studied previously.Our findings contribute to understanding the status of this isolated westernmost population,and we emphasize that more efficient protection measures for the species and control measures are urgently required to improve the coastal environment in the Bohai Strait.

Spatiotemporal variation and freeze-thaw asymmetry of Arctic sea ice in multiple dimensions during 1979 to 2020

Arctic sea ice is broadly regarded as an indicator and amplifier of global climate change.The rapid changes in Arctic sea ice have been widely concerned.However,the spatiotemporal changes in the horizontal and vertical dimensions of Arctic sea ice and its asymmetry during the melt and freeze seasons are rarely quantified simultaneously based on multiple sources of the same long time series.In this study,the spatiotemporal variation and freeze-thaw asymmetry of Arctic sea ice were investigated from both the horizontal and vertical dimensions during 1979–2020 based on remote sensing and assimilation data.The results indicated that Arctic sea ice was declining at a remarkably high rate of–5.4×10^(4) km^(2)/a in sea ice area(SIA)and–2.2 cm/a in sea ice thickness(SIT)during 1979 to 2020,and the reduction of SIA and SIT was the largest in summer and the smallest in winter.Spatially,compared with other sub-regions,SIA showed a sharper declining trend in the Barents Sea,Kara Sea,and East Siberian Sea,while SIT presented a larger downward trend in the northern Canadian Archipelago,northern Greenland,and the East Siberian Sea.Regarding to the seasonal trend of sea ice on sub-region scale,the reduction rate of SIA exhibited an apparent spatial heterogeneity among seasons,especially in summer and winter,i.e.,the sub-regions linked to the open ocean exhibited a higher decline rate in winter;however,the other sub-regions blocked by the coastlines presented a greater decline rate in summer.For SIT,the sub-regions such as the Beaufort Sea,East Siberian Sea,Chukchi Sea,Central Arctic,and Canadian Archipelago always showed a higher downward rate in all seasons.Furthermore,a striking freeze-thaw asymmetry of Arctic sea ice was also detected.Comparing sea ice changes in different dimensions,sea ice over most regions in the Arctic showed an early retreat and rapid advance in the horizontal dimension but late melting and gradual freezing in the vertical dimension.The amount of sea ice melting and freezing was disequilibrium in the Arctic during the considered period,and the rate of sea ice melting was 0.3×10^(4) km^(2)/a and 0.01 cm/a higher than that of freezing in the horizontal and vertical dimensions,respectively.Moreover,there were notable shifts in the melting and freezing of Arctic sea ice in 1997/2003 and 2000/2004,respectively,in the horizontal/vertical dimension.

Production traits and fertility of reciprocal hybrids between Argopecten irradians irradians and A.i.concentricus

The two bay scallop subspecies,Argopecten irradians irradians(NN)and A.i.concentricus(SS),are fast growing and major cultured bivalves in China.However,their relatively small sizes and decreasing production traits caused by long-term inbreeding have been major concerns to the industry in the last two decades.Hybridization between the two bay scallop subspecies may provide a new approach to breed a new variety with superior production traits for the industry.For this end,in this study,we hybridized the two bay scallop subspecies in order to obtain a new strain that incorporates the genes of both subspecies.No significant difference was found in fertilization rate,hatching rate and metamorphosis rate between the purebred and crossbred cohorts(NN♀×SS♂,denoted as NS;SS♀×NN♂,denoted as SN).Both mating strategy(intra-vs.inter-population crosses)and egg origin had significant effects on growth and survival at the larval stage.Heterosis was observed in the crossbred and was more pronounced in older stages.Genetic diversity of the reciprocal hybrids,especially that of SN,was increased compared with the purebred cohorts.Almost all hybrids were completely fertile and able to reproduce by selffertilization or by backcrossing with either parent.Apparently,male sterile individuals whose gonads were fully occupied by the ovary part at mature stage were found in the hybrids for the first time.The hybrids,especially SN,may provide precious germplasm resources for the production of ternary hybrids with the Peruvian scallop,A.purpuratus.

A Research to Village Combination and the Analysis of the Influences of Which Having on Social Economy During the Urbanization Process of Yantai City

With the rapid development of urbanization of our country, serious conflicts on land using appear. Village combination in rural areas is an important way to increase cultivated land, promote the development of urbanization and effectively solve conflicts on land using, which plays an significant role in solving agriculture problems, countryside problems and peasant problems, assuring foods safety and constructing social new countryside. Taking Yantai City as example, the paper firstly makes analyses on the necessaries and the feasibility of village combination. And then based on the mode GM (1,1) of grey theory, the paper forecasts the urbanization ratio, the proportion of urban and rural areas to the whole population and finally programs the rational scale of central villages and towns of Yantai City. At last, the paper conducts a detailed analysis on the social economic influence of village combination of Yantai City, pointing out that village combination affords carriers to farmers citizenization and it is beneficial to explore the new mode of rural urbanization, which is the engine of economic development in China.

Nitrogen Biological Cycle Characteristics of Seepweed(Suaeda salsa) Wetland in Intertidal Zone of Huanghe(Yellow) River Estuary

From April 2008 to November 2009,the nitrogen(N) cycle of plantsoil system in seepweed(Suaeda salsa) wetland in the intertidal zone of the Huanghe(Yellow) River estuary was studied.Results showed that soil N had sig-nificant seasonal fluctuations and vertical distribution,and the net N mineralization rates in topsoil were significantly different in growing season(p < 0.01).The N/P ratio(9.87 ± 1.23) of S.salsa was less than 14,indicating that plant growth was limited by N.The N accumulated in S.salsa litter at all times during decomposition,which was ascribed to the N immobilization by microbes from the environment.Soil organic N was the main N stock of plant-soil system,accounting for 97.35% of the total N stock.The N absorption and utilization coefficients of S.salsa were very low(0.0145 and 0.3844,respectively),while the N cycle coefficient was high(0.7108).The results of the N turnovers among compartments of S.salsa wetland showed that the N uptake amount of aboveground part and root were 7.764 g/m2and 4.332 g/m2,respectively.The N translocation amounts from aboveground part to root and from root to soil were 3.881 g/m2 and 0.626 g/m2,respectively.The N translocation amount from aboveground living body to litter was 3.883 g/m2,the annual N return amount from litter to soil was more than 0.125(-) g/m2(minus represented immobilization),and the net N mineralization amount in topsoil(0-15 cm) in growing season was 1.190 g/m2.The assessment of N biological cycle status of S.salsa wetland indicated that N was a very important limiting factor and the ecosystem was situated in unstable and vulnerable status.The S.salsa was seemingly well adapted to the low-nutrient status and vulnerable habitat,and the N quantitative relationships determined in the compartment model might provide scientific base for us to reveal the special adaptive strategy of S.salsa to the vulnerable habitat in the following studies.

occurrence and microscopic analyses of multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes from coastal sediments in the Yellow Sea

Multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes(MMPs) are a group of aggregates composed of 7-45 gram-negative cells synthesizing intracellular magnetic crystals.Although they are thought to be globally distributed,MMPs have been observed only in marine environments in America and Europe.Most MMPs share a rosette-like morphology and biomineralize iron sulfide crystals.In the present study,abundant MMPs were observed,with a density of 26 ind./cm3,in the sediments of a coastal lagoon,Lake Yuehu,in the Yellow Sea.Optical microscopy showed that all of them were rosette shaped with a diameter of 5.5±0.8 mm.Transmission electron microscopy revealed that these MMPs were composed of 10-16 ovoid cells and flagellated peritrichously.High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that they biomineralized bullet-shaped magnetite crystals in highly organized parallel chains within which the magnetosomes were oriented in the same direction.This is the first report of MMPs from Asia and demonstrates the ubiquitous distribution of MMPs.

Temporal and spatial variations in the distribution of macroalgal communities along the Yantai coast, China

To explore the impact of environmental variables on macroalgal communities, their temporal and spatial distributions were examined along the Yantai coast, China between April 2010 and March 2011. Macroalgae sampling was conducted monthly at four sites along the coast: Jiahe River estuary, Zhifu Island, Fisherman's Wharf, and Yangma Island. The species composition and abundance, and their relationship with environmental variables were assessed. Along the Yantai coast, 35 macroalgae species were identifi ed, including 24 Rhodophyta spp., 7 Chlorophyta, and 4 Phaeophyta spp. Highest species numbers were recorded in the summer at all sampling sites, except in the Jiahe River estuary. Macroalgae biomass was the greatest in the summer. Year-round, the highest species number and dry biomass recorded at Fisherman's Wharf and Yangma Island was attributed to the substrate type. In summer, Ulva pertusa Kjellman was the dominant species identifi ed along the Yantai coast, which indicates a risk of macroalgae blooms. Our results show that seawater temperature and nutrients appear to signifi cantly affect the temporal and spatial patterns of macroalgal abundance along the Yantai coast. The effects of environmental variables on the macroalgae on the Yantai coast need further study.

Protist Interactions and Seasonal Dynamics in the Coast of Yantai, Northern Yellow Sea of China as Revealed by Metabarcoding

Facilitated by the high-throughput sequencing(HTS)technique,the importance of protists to aquatic systems has been widely acknowledged in the last decade.However,information of protistan biotic interactions and seasonal dynamics is much less known in the coast ecosystem with intensive anthropic disturbance.In this study,year-round changes of protist community composition and diversity in the coastal water of Yantai,a city along the northern Yellow Sea in China,were investigated using HTS for the V4 region of 18S rDNA.The interactions among protist groups were also analyzed using the co-occurrence network.Data analyses showed that Alveolata,Chlorophyta,and Stramenopiles are the most dominant phytoplanktonic protists in the investigated coastal area.The community composition displayed strong seasonal variation.The abundant families Dino-Group-I-Clade-1 and Ulotrichales_X had higher proportions in spring and summer,while Bathycoccaceae exhibited higher ratios in autumn and winter.Alpha diversities(Shannon and Simpson)were the highest in autumn and the lowest in spring(ANOVA test,P<0.05).Nutrients(SiO42−,PO43−),total organic carbon(TOC),and pH seemed to drive the variation of alpha diversity,while temperature,PO43−and TON were the most significant factors influencing the whole protist community.Co-variance network analyses reveal frequent co-occurrence events among ciliates,chlorophytes and dinoflagellate,suggesting biotic interactions have been induced by predation,parasitism and mixotrophy.

Anthropogenic impacts on hyperbenthos in the coastal waters of Sishili Bay,Yellow Sea

A survey on the hyperbenthic communities was carried out in the coastal waters of Sishili Bay in the Yellow Sea in July 2009,to investigate the impact of putative anthropogenic activities related to the presence of a sewage outfall,a harbor and an aquaculture site on the benthic ecosystem.An Agassiz net trawl was used to collect hyperbenthos at 10 sampling stations.Species,diversity,abundance,and biomass were analyzed against water sample data and historical data obtained from records from nearby Yantai City.Fifty-two species were identified in the region,of which Crustacea were the most abundant taxon,followed by Echinodermata.Dominant species included five crustaceans,two echinoderms,one mollusk and one fish species.The results of a BIOENV analysis show that the concentrations of NO3-N and Chl-a were slightly positively correlated with hyperbenthic community structure,while other factors were negatively correlated,including sediment grain size and the percentage of TN and TOC in sediment.Abundance- Biomass Comparison(ABC method) curves indicate that the hyperbenthos in Sishili Bay had been disturbed by putative sources of human activities.Eight out of 10 stations were classified as "moderately perturbed" to "perturbed".

Examining Health of Wetlands with Multiple Ecosystem Services as Targets in China’s Coastal Regions

Coastal zones are key interconnectors of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.Due to the degradation and fragmentation of coastal wetlands,there is an urgent need to develop assessment methodology to compare the health of wetland ecosystems at different spatial scales.This will help efficiently develop and implement protections using easy-to-access ecosystem health data.This study aims to understand the spatial distribution of coastal and inland wetland health for China’s coastal regions.A Wetland Health Index(WHI)was developed to provide a basis for policy and decision making.Four utilization models—Long Term Model,Open Model,Nature Reserve Model,and Protected and Economic Model—were defined in the context of China’s coastal regions to specifically examine wetland health.Results show that the average WHI score was 63.6 with the range of 44.8–84.3 for 35 National Nature Reserves(NNRs),and the southern NNRs generally performed better than the northern NNRs.The wetlands in the southern provinces/municipalities are relatively healthier than their northern counterparts.The competent authority has slight influence on WHI scores but duration of conservation establishment does not show a clear correlation.With increasing economic activity,the differences in health conditions(WHI scores)of China’s coastal regions also increase.Gross Domestic Product(GDP)or economic intensification does not relate to WHI scores.Appropriate trade-offs between wetland management and economic development could contribute to improve health conditions,conservation and utilization of coastal and inland wetlands.

Structure elucidation and in vitro rat intestinal fermentation properties of a novel sulfated glucogalactan from Porphyra haitanensis

This study was to investigate the structure and rat fecal microbial fermentation properties of a polysaccharide fraction(PHP2)isolated from the red marine alga Porphyra haitanensis.PHP2 was characterized as a sulfated glucogalactan,with a hypothetical backbone structure of→4)Gα(1→6)G4 Sβ(1→4)Glc(1→and a side chain of Man(1→6)Glc.PHP2 had an irregular spherical chain conformation.The 16 S r RNA sequence analysis revealed that PHP2 modulated the rat fecal micro-flora composition,with a similar effect to inulin,changing the dominant genus(Lactobacillus and Escherichia-Shigella)and promoting the growth of organisms that degrade sulfur-containing polysaccharides,such as Desulfovibrio,Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005,and Ruminococcus_2.PHP2 can promote production of acetic,propionic and butyric acid by rat fecal micro-flora.Prediction of metabolic function suggested that PHP2 could modulate cholesterol metabolism.The sulfated glucogalactan fermentation behavior may be associated with its monosaccharide composition,chain branching and chain conformation.PHP2 appeared to have considerable potential as functional food,and was associated with sulfur-containing polysaccharides in general.

Occurrence and Identification of the Hydromedusae Sarsia tubulosa(Hydrozoa, Corynidae) in Chinese Coastal Waters

Sarsia tubulosa(M. Sars, 1835) belongs to the family Corynidae, and is mainly distributed in coastal boreal and arctic waters. During regular zooplankton sampling in a coastal artificial lake(Lake Fenghuang) near the northern Yellow Sea(36?55?N, 122?24?E) in May 2015, we found high densities of Sarsia sp. in the zooplankton samples. The mean density of the medusae was 50± 40 individuals m^(-3)(mean ± SD). These specimens were characterized by a long tube-like manubrium and were consistent with previous descriptions of S. tubulosa. Furthermore, a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I subunit gene fragments revealed that these individuals clustered with S. tubulosa. Therefore, based on both morphological and molecular data, these specimens were identified as S. tubulosa. This report represents the first formal record of S. tubulosa in Chinese coastal waters, which extended its known geographical distribution.

Pyrolytic and kinetic analysis of coastal plant Xanthium sibiricum

The fuel properties of coastal plant Xanthium sibiricum were investigated in thermogravimetrics.The distributed activation energy model was employed in the kinetic analysis and a simplified mathematical model that can predict the thermogravimetry curves was proposed.The results show that the initial decomposition temperature tends to increase with the heating rate.The distributed E values ranged from 169.08 to 177.43 kJ/mol,and the frequency factor values ranged from 6.59× 10~8 to 1.22×10^(12)/s at different conversion rates.Furthermore,the prediction made with the simplified mathematical model perfectly matched the experimental data,and the model was found to be simple and accurate for the prediction of devolatilization curves.

The color reflectance of marine-terrigenous deposits in LZ908 borehole in south coastal plain of the Laizhou Bay

Color measuring is characterized by high resolution,high efficiency,and low cost. The application becomes increasingly common for tracing sediment sources and climate variation. Borehole LZ908 in the south coastal plain of the Laizhou Bay in northeast China,was used,of which the top 54 m containing all marine facies was focused,to test the feasibility of colorimetry as a climate indi-cator using visible light reflectance spectra and L＊a＊b＊measurement results. The results show a good correction between lightness and calcium carbonate content in marine-terrigenous deposits;therefore,these deposits can be used as a proxy to study climate changes. Factor-analysis on the first derivative values of the raw visible light reflectance spectra produced three principal factors corresponding to goethite,organic matter,and hematite. Down hole variations in the three fac-tor scores,lightness,calcium carbonate content,and grain size were quite consistent. Moreover,high lightness and low factor scores in goethite,hematite,and organics indicated glacial regression deposits,while low lightness and high factor scores in goethite,hematite,and organics indicated interglacial transgression deposits.

Taxonomic Composition and Spatial Distribution of Meiofauna Community from a Sandy Intertidal Zone in Sishili Bay, Yellow Sea Coast (Northern China)

The meiofauna composition and trophic groups of the nematode communities have been studied at a sandy intertidal zone in Sishili Bay along the Yantai coast(Yellow Sea,China).Nematoda was dominant among the 11 groups of meiofauna.The meiofaunal densities were low,ranging between 111±47 and 542±131 ind./10 cm^(2).Results obtained from the correlation analysis made it possible to determine several factors that influence species composition and distribution.Generally,sediment granulometry significantly affected the communities.The highest abundance was found in fine-grained sediments(318.77±126 ind./10 cm^(2))com-pared to coarse-grained sediments(175±82 ind./10 cm2).Nematodes were predominant in all studied sites.A total of 70 species be-longing to 52 genera and 18 families were identified in the study area.There was a significant difference in nematode abundance(ANOVA,F=2.38,P<0.05)between the three sites.Nematode communities were characterized by a high level of species diversity in sediments composed mainly of very-fine sands(>63μm),with dominant species belonging to the genus Bathylaimus,Ptycho-laimellus,Spirinia,and Sabatieria.The trophic groups were dominated by non-selective deposit feeders(40.7%)and epistrate feed-ers(41.29%).In contrast,the species composition in medium grain sands was characterized by a low species diversity index and a high Simpson dominance index.Nematode communities showed similar dominant species compositions belonging to a single genus Bathylaimus,Enoplolaimus,and Oncholaimus,and in terms of trophic structure-representatives of deposit feeders(46.15%),preda-tors,and omnivores(64.71%)prevailed.The divergence of meiofaunal community structures can be explained by abiotic factors such as sediment grain size,salinity,and organic carbon content.Specifically,sediment particle size can explain the diversity of nematodes at the level of in abundance,diversity indices,and trophic structure.The highest nematode density and diversity coincided with the highest percentage of very fine sands.

Reclamation-oriented spatiotemporal evolution of coastal wetland along Bohai Rim,China

Coastal wetlands are located in the ecotone of interaction between the land surface and sea,and anthropogenic activities extensively interfere with these wetlands through the reclamation of large tidal wetlands and destruction of the function of the ecosystems.In this study,we investigated the dynamic evolutionary characteristics of the Bohai Rim coastal area over the past 40 years using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index,the fractal dimension,object-oriented classification,the land-use transfer trajectory,and regression analysis.Additionally,we quantified and monitored the evolution of reclamation and analyzed the correlation between reclamation and coastal wetlands based on 99 Landsat-2,-5,and-8 images(at 60 m and 30 m spatial resolution) over the period 1980–2019.The results are as follows.(1) The coastline of the Bohai Rim increased by 1 631.2 km from 1980 to2019 with a zigzag variation.The artificial coastline increased by 2 946.1 km,whereas the natural coastline decreased by 90%.(2) The area of man-made wetlands increased by 3 736.9 km~2,the area of construction land increased by 1 008.4 km~2,and the natural wetland area decreased by 66%.The decrease of tidal flats is the main contributor to the decrease of natural wetland area(takes account for 91.1%).Coastal areas are affected by intense human disturbance,which was taken place across a large area of tidal flats and caused the landscape to fragment and be more heterogeneous.The coastal zone development activities were primarily concentrated in the southern Laizhou Bay,the Yellow River Delta,the Bohai Bay,the northern Liaodong Bay,and the Pulandian Bay.The solidified shorelines and increase in sea level have resulted in intertidal wetlands decreasing and impaired wetland ecology.(3) There is a good agreement between reclamation and the size of the coastal wetlands.Both land reclamation and the reduction in coastal wetland areas are significantly related to the population size,fishery output value,and urbanization rate.In summary,human activities,such as the construction of aquaculture ponds and salt pans,industrialization,and urbanization,are the primary forces that influence the environmental changes in the coastal region.This study is beneficial for establishing and improving the systems for the rational development and utilization of natural resources,and provides theoretical references for restoring wetland ecology and managing future reclamation activities in other coastal zone-related areas.

Impact of tropical cyclone Matmo on mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai Seas

The Bohai Sea is a low-lying semi-enclosed sea area that is linked to the Yellow Sea via the Bohai straits(mixed zone). Its of fshore seabed is shallow, which makes it vulnerable to serious marine meteorological disasters associated with the northward passage of Pacific tropical cyclones. Analyses on data of remote sensing and buoy of the mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai seas indicate that all the wind speed, significant wave height, and salinity(SAL) increased, sea surface temperature decreased, and wind energy density changed considerably during the passage of tropical cyclone Matmo on July 25, 2014. It was found that the SAL inversion layer in the mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai Seas was caused by the tropical cyclone. Furthermore, it was found that the tropical cyclone transported the northern Yellow Sea cold water mass(NYSCWM) into the mixed zone of the Yellow and Bohai Seas. The NYSCWM has direct influence on both the aquaculture and the ecological environment of the region. Therefore, further research is needed to establish the mechanism behind the formation of the SAL inversion layer in the mixed zone, and to determine the influence of tropical cyclones on the NYSCWM.

Climatology of Winter Extratropical Cyclones over the Coastal Waters of China

The East China coast is one major cyclogenesis region of extratropical cyclones (ETCs) in boreal winter. In this study, the climatological characteristics of winter ETCs passing over the coastal water of China are analyzed by using clustering and composite analysis. Automated cyclone detection and tracking algorithm are used to identify the ETCs, which are further classified into subgroups according to their trajectory features by using the probabilistic clustering algorithm. Six distinct types of straight moving or recurving trajectories with different climatological characteristics are identified in the clustering analysis. Accordingly, the composite analyses also present six distinct synoptic patterns corresponding to cyclogenesis as well as the impact of ETCs on terrestrial precipitation. The spatio-temporal characteristics of winter ETCs’ origination, movement, and impact are revealed by the clustering and composite analyses.